Flyers Trade Simon Gagne to Tampa Bay Lightning

[Written by, David J. Miller]

The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that they have traded their longest tenured player, Simon Gagne, to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defense-man Matt Walker and a 2011 fourth round draft pick.

Gagne, who is heading into the last year of his current deal, is scheduled to make over five million dollars next season. Walker has three more years left on his current deal with a price tag of just under two million dollars.

Walker had just five points for the Lightning last season, well below the league average for defense-men of fourteen points. Gagne had 40 points for the Flyers last season, and over 70 points the year before. After injuring himself early in the playoffs, he returned to score several big post season goals for the Black & Orange.

The trade moves the Flyers below the cap limit with about a million dollars left for G.M. Paul Holmgren to play with. Back on July 1st, the Flyers acquired defenseman Andrej Meszaros from the Lightning for a second round pick. Meszaros was originally selected in the first round of the 2004 draft (23rd overall) by the Ottawa Senators.

It will be interesting to see what other moves Holmgren will make this off-season as the Flyers look to capitalize on their impromptu run to the Stanley Cup Finals this past season.